In the last few years, several studies have described numerous biosecurity measures applied in European farms. These studies reflected differences in biosecurity levels between farming systems and countries. However, the few publications comparing different countries were mostly descriptive without any further analysis about the reasons for this heterogeneity. In addition, most of these studies were conducted in commercial holdings in Western Europe and, therefore, information about other production systems or countries is lacking.

The implementation of biosecurity measures is important in private veterinary practice to reduce the risk of spread of endemic diseases that affects productivity, but it is also important for animal health authorities to combat diseases with high morbidity and substantial impact on animal trade (mainly exotic diseases).

To approach these challenges, the new European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST) Action Biosecurity Enhanced Through Training Evaluation and Raising Awareness (BETTER) will evaluate how biosecurity is currently used and will use participative approaches to understand motivators and barriers for biosecurity implementation. The knowledge generated through these approaches will act as the baseline upon which adequate communication and training strategies on biosecurity will be developed.

BETTER COST Action will perform an assessment of existing methods used to evaluate biosecurity. Exploiting these tools will promote the development of tailored options in farms based on the evaluation of their risks, on the feasibility of selected biosecurity measures and on their economic benefits. Moreover, the Action will identify training needs through the evaluation of existing training materials and will develop new courses, increasing therefore the number of trained professionals. Finally, the Action will recommend priority research areas for future biosecurity improvement in animal production systems.